Monrovia – Mr. Alexander B. Cummings, leader of the Collaborating Political Parties(CPP) is turning the tables on a debate call from President George Weah’s Minister of State for Presidential Affairs, Mr. Nathaniel McGill, who over the weekend, threw an open challenge to the opposition leader.
Report by Rodney D. Sieh, [email protected]
Minister McGill, speaking in an interview with the Monrovia City Corporation TV, challenged Mr. Cummings to a debate. “I want to challenge the opposition chairperson to a debate. Let’s go to a debate; let’s be very civil, respect each other, let’s go to debate. It’s an open challenge to Mr. Cummings to a debate on the president’s performance, and let’s discuss,” said Minister McGill.
The minister continued: “He must not bring no paper. He must not let anybody to write for him. I want challenge his IQ on governance. I ain’t say he must bring Coca Cola trade. Am talking about running government. Because you not sit in the chair, you not understand how to run government, you just talk. Some of the things he talking, he think that small children talk! He think to run government is to sit down in one corporate office? We talking about real politics where you confronted with the people’s problem. We not talking about corporate problem where you just make decision, bossman tell you say do this, people run to Coca Cola factory, everything happening, you not part of the manufacturing, other people doing production you just sitting down there…when you ask how many money they make the people give it you.”
“I would hope that Pres. Weah who escaped the 2017 Presidential Elections debate would now want to debate why his government is making Liberians poorer, why goods and services are becoming unaffordable, why companies are leaving, and unemployment is rising, why Liberians are suffering under his rule. This is the debate the Liberian people deserve – one between their current President and their opposition leader.”
– Mr. Alexander B. Cummings, Chair, Collaborating Political Parties
On Monday, Mr. Cummings fired back, deflecting Minister McGill’s debate call to his boss, whom he says skipped two major debates ahead of the 2017 presidential elections.
Said Mr. Cummings, in a Facebook post: “The much-heralded request for a debate with me as the leader of the CPP, is a reflection of the unseriousness of this govt and its officials. Under no serious government, would a Chief of Staff to the President and cabinet member challenge an opposition leader to a debate on his boss’ performance while his boss hides away from his responsibilities. It is simply a publicity stunt and demonstrated incompetence that is characteristic of the Weah administration. This is evident by the fact that just yesterday evening, we were on the same flight out of the country and he didn’t ask for a debate in person.”
The truth is, Mr. Cummings averred, “there is no debate that this Weah-led government is corrupt, incompetent, and that as a result, Liberians are suffering! But if they are serious about a debate, I prefer to debate Pres. Weah himself.”
The CPP leader, who ran on the ticket of his Altenative Natioal Congress in the 2017 Presidential elections, added: “I want Liberians who are catching hard times under this government to know from their President how their conditions can improve, not from his Chief of Staff who has no mandate from the Liberian people. Iwould hope that Pres. Weah who escaped the 2017 Presidential Elections debate would now want to debate why his government is making Liberians poorer, why goods and services are becoming unaffordable, why companies are leaving and unemployment is rising, why Ljberians are suffering under his rule. This is the debate the Liberian people deserve – one between their current President and their opposition leader.”
Mr. Cummings recently came under fire, along with District No. 10 Representative Yekeh Kolubah, when they were attacked in Zwedru, Grand Gedeh County, while wrapping up a tour of the Southeast.
Minister McGill, also threw jabs at Mr. Cummings, a former president of the Coca- Cola Africa Group and former chief administrative officer of Coca. “You do not even know how the people make Coca Cola. We not talking about that. We talking about running government. The system doesn’t work for you. You got to make the system work. So I want to challenge him. I want to challenge him to an open debate. Let’s sit down and discuss the government and let me ask him, well the president said this and the president didn’t do it.”
“I want to challenge the opposition chairperson to a debate. Let’s go to a debate; let’s be very civil, respect each other, let’s go to a debate. It’s an open challenge to Mr. Cummings to a debate on the president’s performance, and let’s discuss. He must not bring no paper. He must not let anybody to write for him. I want challenge his IQ on governance. I ain’t say he must bring Coca Cola trade. Am talking about running government.”
– Mr. Nathaniel McGill, Minister of State for Presidential Affairs
Coming to Mr. Cummings’ Defense, Cllr. Orishall Lafayette Gould, Chairman Emeritus of the Alternative National Congress, reiterated that the ANC leaders would be happy to debate President Weah anytime and anywhere about this government’s records and governance but will not debate McGill.
Said Gould: “McGill accomplished nothing before assuming his current role and has accomplished nothing even now. The President himself had no experience or success running anything and that is being shown to the Liberian people today. Rice, fuel, all basic products are more expensive today than when the President took over. Unemployment is higher, companies have left. Most Liberians are worse off today than when this President took over, yet the President is much wealthier today. That is what Mr. Cummings would like to debate with President Weah and not McGill. Hence, we accept to debate with President Weah, not McGill.”
President ‘Too Busy for ‘Childish Play’
Contacted late Tuesday, Minister McGill told FPA that Mr. Cummings had proven him right in his response, suggesting that the ANC leader lacks the understanding of government. “Mr. Cummings does not know that the Minister of State is the Principle Assistant to the President, as is provided in the Executive law of Liberia. Cummings is just another opposition leader like any of those candidates who lost the 2017 election . He cannot even equate himself to Senator Prince Johnson in terms of national support. The President is too busy for Cummings childish play.”